Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests at a Community Site During an Omicron Surge
Authors: John Schrom, Carina Marquez, Maya Petersen, Joe DeRisi, Diane Havlir
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2022)

LettersOctober 2022Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests at a Community Site During an Omicron SurgeFREEJohn Schrom, MPH, Carina Marquez, MD, Maya Petersen, MD, PhD, Joe DeRisi, PhD, Diane Havlir, MDJohn Schrom, MPHUniversity of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, Carina Marquez, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, Maya Petersen, MD, PhDUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, Joe DeRisi, PhDChan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California, Diane Havlir, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CaliforniaAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L22-0257 SectionsAboutVisual AbstractPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE: We appreciate Drs. Todsen and Benfield's request to clarify the method of specimen collection used in our study. Samples were collected by trained and certified technicians or health care professionals who were bilingual (Spanish and English) and had been working for at least 1 year at the Unidos en Salud outdoor walk-up community testing site. Collection of multiple swabs from individual clients using standardized procedures has been done commonly at this site over the past 2 years and is a familiar procedure. The training for sample collection included review of oral pharynx anatomy and practice sample collection, with time for questions and feedback by the health professional trainer. Puritan 6-inch sterile standard foam swabs with polystyrene handles (Puritan Medical Products) were used for sample collection.As recommended in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines cited by Drs. Todsen and Benfield, the health provider inserted the swabs into the posterior pharynx and tonsillar areas; rubbed the swab over both tonsillar pillars and the posterior oropharynx; and avoided touching the tongue, teeth, and gums. The sample collection procedures were described to participants in their preferred language. We did not randomize the order of nasal (first) and oral (second) specimen collection. No change was observed in providers' standard collection procedure during collection because of "participant discomfort." On the days the specimens for the study were collected, there was onsite oversight by study physicians for collection of the samples.We are continuing to systematically evaluate the performance of rapid tests as SARS-CoV-2 variants evolve and the symptoms that persons are experiencing change. We will aim to include this important information on specimen collection according to guidelines in subsequent reporting. Comments0 CommentsSign In to Submit A Comment Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CaliforniaUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CaliforniaChan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CaliforniaUniversity of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CaliforniaDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M22-0202. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoComparison of SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests at a Community Site During an Omicron Surge John Schrom , Carina Marquez , Genay Pilarowski , Chung-Yu Wang , Anthea Mitchell , Robert Puccinelli , Doug Black , Susana Rojas , Salustiano Ribeiro , Valerie Tulier-Laiwa , Jacqueline Martinez , Joselin Payan , Susy Rojas , Diane Jones , Daniel Martinez , Robert Nakamura , Gabriel Chamie , Vivek Jain , Maya Petersen , Joe DeRisi , and Diane Havlir Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests at a Community Site During an Omicron Surge Tobias Todsen and Thomas Benfield Metrics Cited byUpdate on Covid-19: vaccines, timing of transplant after COVID-19 infection and use of positive donors October 2022Volume 175, Issue 10Page: W119KeywordsAntigensCOVID-19Prevention, policy, and public healthReverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction ePublished: 18 October 2022 Issue Published: October 2022 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2022 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...